Living a Double Life
by TeenQueen661
Summary: Matt, Inez and Jackie are high school students on Earth. In Cyberspace, they manage their Cyber careers, while battling Hacker on a daily basis. How long can they keep their double lives a secret before their parents find out? Slider/Jackie and Matt/Inez. ON HIATUS!
1. Introduction

Living a Double Life

Summary: Matt, Inez and Jackie are high school students on Earth. In Cyberspace, they manage their Cyber careers, while battling Hacker on a daily basis. How long can they keep their double lives a secret before their parents find out?

Couples: Slider/Jackie and Matt/Inez

Disclaimer: TeenQueen661 does not own Cyberchase and its characters. She does, however, own the story.

Chapter 1: Introduction

In a studio on the beautiful cybersite of Gollywood, an African-American girl ran her fingers through the many gold and silver bead necklaces that hung from her neck, as flashes of light brightened the room every few seconds.

"Pretty!" a photographer commented, as he took several more pictures. "Beautiful, gorgeous!"

Jackie's hands moved from her necklaces; one ran through her shoulder-length, curly hair, while the other ran down the side of her body over the midnight-blue cocktail dress she was wearing.

"Tilt your chin up," the photographer said, snapping more pictures as soon as Jackie did what she was told. "Excellent!"

Jackie parted her red lips, giving the photographer a wicked eye.

"That's good, I love it!" the photographer exclaimed, snapping a few more photos.

When Jackie wasn't making plans to thrawt Hacker's evil schemes, she was in Gollywood, working as a successful model. She got discovered by one of Gollywood's top modelling agencies while she was shopping in Gollywood. She had appeared on the covers of fashion magazines such as _Cyber Vogue _and _Golly Runway_ numerous times.

Just as Jackie looked towards the camera, with a seductive look on her face, a shrill ringing was heard nearby.

"Would you like me to get that, miss?" a female stylist nearby asked.

"No, I'll get it," Jackie replied, hurrying off of the set. "It's probably important."

While the photographer was going through the photos he had taken so far, Jackie made it to a table where her skwak pad was still ringing. She grabbed it and answered it.

"Hello?" she said, followed by someone's frantic voice on the other line. "Okay, pick me up out front."

With that said, Jackie hung up and hurried back towards the photographer.

"Hack-Attack," she informed the photographer, who nodded, understanding.

"Okay, hurry then," he said, gesturing towards the door. "We'll finish the shoot later in the afternoon."

Jackie nodded, bolting for her dressing room, for a quick wardrobe change.

* * *

><p>Sitting behind a stand in downtown R-Fair City, a brunette Latin-American girl signed a neat signature on the inside cover of a thick book.<p>

"I have all of your books so far!" a female Cyboid, who was standing in front of the girl, gushed.

"You're a true fanatic," Inez said, smiling, as she handed her the book that she signed.

"My favourite book so far is _Poddleville Pattern Problems_," the Cyboid said, grinning. "Did Jackie really fit into that poddle egg costume?"

"She sure did," Inez answered, laughing. "That was very uncomfortable for her, but she did what she had to do."

Inez didn't spend all of her time using logic to help defeat Hacker. In her free time, she was a famous author in Cyberspace. She wrote novels, documenting every single adventure that she and the rest of the Cybersquad went on. Many Cyber citizens purchased her books and even showed up at her book signings.

"Which novel are you working on now?" the Cyboid asked, curiously.

"I'm currently working on _Tesellating Troubles_," Inez replied. "I'm sure you'll like it."

"I'll be sure to buy it when it appears in stores," the Cyboid said, leaving. "Thank you for the autograph."

"You're very welcome," Inez replied, waving. "Thank you for coming."

The next borg in line placed his book in front of Inez, who was about to sign it, when her shorts pocket started vibrating.

She dropped her pen onto the table, whipped out her skwak pad and answered it.

"Yes?" she greeted, knowing who was calling. "I had a feeling that was what you were going to...yeah, meet me outside Pure Chance."

Inez hung up and gave the borg in front of her an apolegetic look.

"I'm sorry, Hack-Attack in progress," she said. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

The borg nodded as he, and every other person in line for the book signing, watched Inez sprint off towards R-Fair City's most popular game.

* * *

><p>On a red, yellow and blue slugball field in Tikiville, a red-headed guy was facing the robotic pitcher, with his knees bent and his bat held high.<p>

"This is Stats Playback!" the commentator announced to the cheering crowd. "The game is tied. The Tikiville Titans need one more hit and they will be heading to the finals!"

The crowd cheered, including the Big Kahuna of Tikiville, Creech, who was cheering from her spot near the players' bench.

"Go Matt!" she cheered, excitedly.

"Matt is up at bat, can he send his team to the finals?" Stats Playback asked. "Or will the Tumbleweed League stop him?"

The robotic pitcher threw a green ball towards Matt, who narrowed his eyes. He took a deep breath and whacked the ball as hard as he could.

Matt worked hard when it came to thrawting Hacker's evil schemes with the other Cybersquad members, but in his free time, he was a major Cyberspace slugball player. Inez and Jackie decided that they didn't want to play slugball anymore, so Matt left the Earthlie All-Stars and joined the Tikiville Titans. He was one of the most valuable players in the league.

"It's a long one to right field!" Stats Playback announced, as the crowd got to their feet, watching the ball fly towards El Slambino, who was catching for the Tumbleweed League.

El Slambino, who was in center field, noticed the ball heading towards right field. He ran as fast as he could, his gloved hand held high, hoping to catch the ball.

However, he was too late. The ball landed on the ground with a thud and rolled until it came to a complete stop.

"Game over!" Stats Playback yelled, happily. "Thanks to Matt, the Tikiville Titans will be heading to the finals in two weeks in Mount Olympus!"

Matt hurried back towards his team mates, as the crowd cheered for him. Creech was the first to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, Matt!" Creech exclaimed, hugging him. "That was amazing!"

"Thanks," Matt replied, grinning, as his team mates were high-fiving each other, happily.

"This is an incredible moment for you," Creech said. "I'm pretty sure the paparazzi will be waiting for you once you leave the stadium."

"Oh, and the fangirls," Matt added, rolling his eyes. "Don't forget the fangirls."

"Yeah, but you're already taken," Creech reminded him, laughing. "Everyone knows that you're dating Cyberspace's most famous author."

"I never was into girly-girls whose screams are so high-pitched," Matt said, laughing. "I love bookworms."

Just then, the coach of the Tikiville Titans hurried over to them, adjusting his headset.

"Good job, Matt!" he commented, slapping him on the back.

"Thanks, man," Matt replied, gratefully.

"Oh, and there's someone on the line for you," the coach added. "Something about a Hack-Attack and..."

"I'll sneak you out the back," Creech offered, taking Matt's hand and leading him away from the front of the stadium, as well as the paparazzi waiting out front.

* * *

><p>On the cybersite of Radopolis, an attractive, brunette skater borg was leaving a racetrack, when he was suddenly swarmed by a mob of girls.<p>

"You were awesome!" one of the girls squealed, happily.

"You are so hot!" another girl commented, batting her eyelashes, flirtatiously.

"Can I have your autograph, Slider?" a female Cyboid asked, thrusting a notebook and pen into his hands.

"Of course," Slider answered, scribbling his signature onto the notebook.

Slider was an important member of the Cybersquad when it came to defeating Hacker, but he was also a successful Cyber coupe racing champion. He was known around Cyberspace for his many Radopolis Grand Prix titles, as well as his boyish good looks.

"Here you go," Slider said, handing the Cyboid her signed notebook back.

"Thanks so much!" the Cyboid chirped, hugging the notebook close to her chest.

"So, are you seeing anyone, Slider?" one of the girls asked, smiling girlishly. "If you're not, I'm free tonight if..."

"Sorry, ladies," Slider replied, chuckling. "I'm happily in a relationship with a Gollywood model."

"Shoot," the girl muttered, frowning, as she turned to the other girls. "I bet it's that Jackie girl. She is such a..."

Just as the girl was about to say something about Jackie that would make Slider want to throw the pottymouth into a black hole, his skwak pad rang.

"Hello?" he said, answering the call. A frantic voice was heard on the other end. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

The girls stepped aside, allowing Slider to run off down the street, with his skwak pad still in his hand.

"Okay, I'm about a Cybermile away from the statue of King Stoke downtown," Slider told the person who called him. "Meet me there."

* * *

><p>"You said there was a Hack Attack," Jackie said, sounding confused.<p>

"There is," Digit replied, his eyes widening.

"So, who is being attacked?" Matt asked, perplexed. "Vampires in Castleblanca? Dragons in Shangri-La? Poddles in Poddleville?"

"Us, in here!" Digit yelled, turning the steering wheel in front of him to the left, swiftly.

Zooming through Cyberspace at a high speed in their new hi-tech Cybercoupe, while avoiding random objects in their path were the members of the Cybersquad. Not too far behind them was the Grim Wreaker, driven by their arch-nemesis, Hacker.

According to Digit, Hacker tried to prevent Digit from delivering a new shipment of cryoxide to Motherboard, who was running low on it. Digit managed to get to the Cyber coupe with the cryoxide and fly off, but Hacker continued to follow him, shooting random objects at him. Digit panicked and called the others for help.

"Hacker is crazy!" Digit yelled, turning the steering wheel to the left, swiftly.

"Hacker passed 'crazy' a long time ago, Didge," Inez said, looking towards the back from her seat at the first set of controls.

"She's right," Jackie said, from her seat at the second set of controls on the other side of the coupe. "We have to shake him off, so we can this large shipment of cryoxide to Motherboard."

"We have to hurry," Inez urged the others. "If Motherboard's cryoxide level decreases past the minimum level, she will overheat again."

"I really don't want a repeat of that incident," Matt said, from his seat next to Digit. "Maybe one of these many weapons that Dr. Marbles installed may help us."

"I'll see if I can find one that would help," Slider said, from his seat near the back of the coupe.

"Well, make it snappy because my wings are getting tired from all this jerking and turning with the steering wheel," Digit replied, sounding exhausted.

Slider turned to the coupe's computer and began searching the database for a useful weapon that was not a work in progress. He came across a hi-tech ray gun and quickly skimmed through the information provided, just as a shrill ringing was heard.

"Incoming call," Jackie said, typing on the keyboard at her controls. Her eyes widened. "It's my mom."

"Bad time to call!" Matt yelled, as they dodged a laser beam sent by Hackier.

"I have to take it, just act casual," Jackie said, pressing a button on the headset she was wearing. "Hi, mom...I'm at Inez's place...you see...science project, mom...it's a volcano..."

"Wow, she's good at lying," Matt said, impressed by Jackie's ability to come up with realistic lies.

"Her mom has always questioned her whereabouts ever since we arrived in Cyberspace for the first time," Inez explained. "She's used to lying."

"Look out!" Matt yelled.

Alarmed, Digit steered, causing the coupe to swerve to the right. The fireball sent by Hacker hit a nearby flying piece of debris, missing them by several yards, and exploded.

"That was close!" Inez cried, breathing a sigh of relief.

"No, mom, that was Matt," Jackie explained to her mother. "He's in our group, too...the explosion was...it was just the volcano, mom...yeah, it seems to work...sounds like an A plus to me..."

Jackie looked to Inez, who swiped her hand across her neck quickly, telling her silently to end the call before her mother got suspicious.

"I have to go, mom, we got a mess to clean up," Jackie said. "Don't worry, we're all fine...yes I'll pick up some takeout on the way home...not sure...I'll surprise you...okay, love you too."

"This ray sounds cool," Slider called, as Jackie ended the call. "The Heat Skyrocketer."

"It does sound cool," Matt said. "What does it do?"

"It fries things," Slider explained. "Maybe it can fry the Grim Wreaker."

"Among other things, probably," Matt said, imagining what Hacker, Buzz, and Delete would look like after they were zapped. "Let's use it."

"I'm on it," Slider said, typing feverishly on his keyboard.

"Like all weapons, a certain code is required to activate it," Inez said, remembering what Dr. Marbles told them about the new updates to the coupe. "What's the code? I need to input it."

"It depends on the fry levels," Slider said, reading his computer screen. "Frizzball, Sizzling, or Burnt Toast?"

"Burnt toast," Matt answered, without hesitation. "Definitely Burnt Toast."

"Good choice," Slider said, chuckling. "Inez, input code AN-4572."

"I'm on it," Inez replied, inputting the required code.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, inside the Grim Wreaker, Hacker was at the controls, his face displaying a look of pure hatred.<p>

"Say goodbye kiddies," he said, chuckling. "Once I activate my ultra powerful laser, nothing can save you from being zapped into pieces of debris."

Buzz and Delete, Hacker's useless sidekicks, stood behind him, awaiting orders.

"Buzz, Delete, press the button on the controls at the back of the ship!" Hacker ordered.

"We're on it, boss!" the two robots answered, simultaneously.

Buzz and Delete hurried to the back of the ship, where the second control pad was located and were surprised to find not one, not two, but dozens of buttons, all of different colours.

"Which one, boss?" Buzz asked.

"The puce button, you duncebuckets!" Hacker yelled, irritated. "Do I have to go back there and do it myself?

"Uh, boss," Delete said, timidly. "You might want to look at that."

Hacker turned to where Delete was pointing and noticed a top hatch to the Cybercoupe open. A large red and yellow laser emerged from inside and pointed directly at the Grim Wreaker.

"Found the button, boss!" Buzz called, pressing a red button.

The Grim Wreaker suddenly came to a halt and the engines shut down. Hacker clenched his fists, as he gritted his teeth and his nostrils flared.

"You mental meatheads!" Hacker shouted, angrily.

Before Hacker could get any angrier, the Grim Wreaker was zapped with a high voltage of electricity.

* * *

><p>Motherboard was in for a surprise when the doors to the main room of Control Central slid open and all five members of the Cybersquad entered the room, laughing like hyenas.<p>

"Hello, Cybermates," Motherboard greeted. "I take it your mission was successful."

"It was the best mission ever, Mother B," Matt said, in between laughs.

"Do you have the cryoxide?" Motherboard asked.

"Yes, I will pour it into your tank as soon as I can stop laughing," Slider said, leaning against the large container for support as he chuckled.

"Here, let me do it," Jackie said, taking the container from Slider, giggling.

"Will you tell me what has caused you all to have laughing fits?" Motherboard asked, amused.

"Well, we were delivering your cryoxide when we were ambushed by Hacker," Jackie explained, as she poured the cryoxide into Motherboard's storage tank.

"So, we were trying to decide how to get rid of him and that's when Slider suggested we used one of the new weapons that Dr. Marbles installed in the coupe," Matt explained, recovering from his laughing fit.

"Which one?" Motherboard asked.

"The Heat Skyrocketer," Slider replied, grinning. "Inez inputted the code for the level of Burnt Toast, and well, you should see what Hacker looks like now."

"You fried his wig!" Inez said, laughing. "Hacker now resembles something between a fuzzball and an unsheared sheep."

"Well, since everything is okay here, I should get going," Jackie said. "I have an important photoshoot to finish."

"I should return to my book signing," Inez said. "I don't want to keep the fans waiting."

"I better get back to Tikiville," Matt added. "Creech invited the team and I for a celebratory lunch at her palace, for making it to the finals."

"Congratulations, Matt," Slider said. "I better get back to Radopolis and give my coupe a tune-up before the Radopolis Grand Prix."

"Four portals coming right up," Digit said, typing in a few codes on Motherboard's keyboard.

Just then, four purple portals opened in front of them. Slider, Matt, Inez and Jackie bid Digit and Motherboard goodbye, before hopping into the portals.

Chapter 1 up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

**Next chapter:** Digit brings up some important news regarding Hacker. The team not only begins another mission, but discusses the possibility of revealing their secret to Matt's, Inez's and Jackie's parents.

-TeenQueen661


	2. The Start of Another Mission

Living a Double Life

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 2! =D

Chapter 2: The Start of Another Mission

Inez was sitting in her office in Poddleville, typing at her computer. The snelfus she made from her best selling novels about the Cybersquad's many adventures were more than enough for her to purchase a building in Poddleville, roughly the size of a small department store. This was the location where she not only sold her novels, but worked on future best sellers.

The automatic sliding doors slid open and Jackie walked in, holding folders and her modelling portfolio. She maneuvered her way through the many borgs shopping for novels to the front desk, where Shari was reading one of her favourite books written by Inez: _Cosmic Crumpet Chaos._

"Hello, Shari," Jackie greeted, as she approached the desk.

"Oh, hello, Jackie," Shari replied, looking up from her book.

"How is your part-time job coming along?" Jackie asked.

"It's wonderful!" Shari answered, happily. "It was really nice of Inez to give me a job here. I really need the extra snelfus for some new school books and a broomstick."

"It's a good thing Inez needed a salesperson for her store," Jackie said. "Speaking of Inez, is she in her office?"

"Yes, she is," Shari replied, gesturing to the door behind her. "Feel free to go in. It's not like you need an appointment or anything to see her. You're her best friend."

Jackie laughed and made her way around the desk to Inez's office, which was kept separate from the rest of the store. She was thinking of how her parents might react if they were to find out about her modelling career in another world. She became irritated, knowing that she couldn't tell them about it.

"I hate this!" Jackie said, as she opened the office door and it slammed against the wall.

"Hello to you, too, Jackie," Inez replied, sarcastically. "I'm great, thank you for asking."

Jackie realized what she had done when she entered the room and carefully closed the door. She then took a seat in the chair across from Inez.

"Sorry for barging in, Inez," Jackie said, facing Inez. "It's just that I hate not being able to tell my parents about my modelling career."

"You don't think I have a similar problem?" Inez asked, frustrated. "How can I tell my parents that I'm a famous author in an alternate world?"

"We should tell them soon," Jackie explained, sighing. "We've been so busy lately. They're bound to find out eventually."

"Not unless we keep up our acts," Inez said, her eyes on the computer. "I hate lying to them, but they wouldn't believe us if we told them about Cyberspace."

Jackie sighed again, as she continued to go through her folders.

Just then, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in!" Inez called.

The door opened and Slider walked in, with his skateboard under his arm. He spotted Inez and Jackie and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, I got it right," he said, grinning.

"Come again?" Jackie asked, confused.

"I keep forgetting where Inez's office building is," Slider said, closing the door behind him. "Every house in Poddleville repeats in a pattern and Inez's office looks a lot like the other cube-shaped buildings out there."

"You get used to it the more you come here," Inez said, laughing.

"Still, would it kill you to make a customized neon sign or something for your store?" Slider asked. "It would definitely help."

"I do have the snelfus for it," Inez said, deep in thought. "I'll put in an order for a nice one and customize it, just as soon as I can find some spare time to do it."

"So, what have you two been up to?" Slider asked, approaching the two girls.

"Finishing another novel called _Tesellating Troubles_," Inez answered, leaning back in her chair. "I'm hoping to get this story printed and out to the editors before the weekend."

"I'm organizing my portfolio," Jackie explained, holding up her portfolio book. "Then, I'm off to a outdoor photoshoot in Tikiville."

"Do you think you two can spare an hour or so of today?" Slider asked. "Digit is planning a picnic lunch for us in Shangri-La and insists that we join him."

"Sounds good," Jackie replied, standing up. "What's the occasion, though?"

"I don't think it's an occasion," Slider said, as Inez saved her word document and logged off. "He told me it was important, though."

"Well, let's get going then," Inez said, approaching Slider and Jackie. "What about Matt?"

"He'll meet us there," Slider explained, as they headed out the door. "He had an important meeting, regarding the slugball finals."

The trio exited Inez's office and waited for Inez to lock the door, before they headed to the front. As they passed Shari at the front desk, Inez gave her a small wave.

"We have to go," Inez said. "We don't know when we'll be back, but if we're not back by sundown, lock up the store before you leave, okay?"

"No problem," Shari replied, waving, as Slider, Inez and Jackie exited the store.

* * *

><p>When Slider, Inez and Jackie arrived in Shangri-La, they spotted Digit and Matt by the pond, sitting on a red and white, checkered blanket, complete with dishes of Digit's best cooked food.<p>

"Something smells good," Jackie commented, as she took a seat next to Slider.

"Help yourselves," Digit said, gesturing to a bowl of his sweet and sour salad with special seaweed sauce.

"Don't mind if I do," Slider said, reaching for a sandwich.

"So, besides having this picnic, why was it so important for us to meet you here?" Inez asked Digit, as she spread cream cheese on a plain bagel.

"Dr. Marbles sent me a message about Hacker," Digit informed them.

"Now what did he do?" Jackie asked, sighing.

"It's what he is going to do," Digit corrected. "Dr. Marbles isn't sure. He said he received a call from Chef Foody in Sensible Flats."

"What did Hacker want from Chef Foody?" Matt asked.

"He placed an order for chocolates," Digit explained. "Hacker didn't tell Chef Foody why, but when Hacker does something, borgs suspect it's an evil scheme of some sort."

"Digit has a point there," Jackie said, thinking logically. "If I saw Hacker buying chocolates, I would suspect he was up to something too."

"We should find out what he's up to," Inez suggested. "However, we can't let him know we're following him or else it could turn ugly. It's best if we figure out what he's up to and then figure out a way to have his plan backfire."

"We can start after lunch," Matt said, reaching for a CyberBurpie bottle. "What's the game plan?"

"Well, Jackie and I will go to Sensible Flats and get some more information from Chef Foody about what happened," Inez said. "Slider and Matt will go to the Northern Frontier to do some spying on Hacker."

"What about me?" Digit asked. "What do I do?"

"Go with Inez," Jackie said, before Inez could reply. "I have a photoshoot in Tikiville right after lunch. My agent said he has some big news for me."

"Okay, Slider and I will drop you off in Tikiville, then drop off Inez and Digit in Sensible Flats on the way to the Northern Frontier," Matt said to Jackie.

"Keep your skwak pads on and relay any new information to the rest of the squad," Jackie said. "We'll regroup later. Those who don't have the coupe with them can just call Motherboard and ask for a portal."

"Sounds good," Inez commented, giving Jackie a thumbs up.

"Lemon meringue pie, anyone?" Digit asked, offering the plate with the dessert to the other teens.

* * *

><p>After lunch, Slider and Matt dropped off Inez and Digit in Sensible Flats, before they took off towards the Northern Frontier. Inez and Digit headed into town, said hi to Sheriff Judy and her cousin Rudy as they passed them by, and made their way to Chef Foody's shop.<p>

The door opened and the bell on the door rang, indicating that someone was entering the store. Several customers that were eating in at the establishment looked up to see who entered, before returning to their desserts.

"Ah, Digit and Inez," Chef Foody greeted in his French accent. "It is good to see you both again!"

"It's nice to see you too, Chef Foody," Inez replied, politely.

"So, what brings you to my shop today?" Chef Foody asked.

"We're here to ask you a couple of questions about Hacker's visit here," Inez whispered, so the customers wouldn't hear. "Mind if we talk in private?"

"Of course," Chef Foody answered, leading them to his office behind the counter. "So, what would you like to know?"

"You called Dr. Marbles because Hacker buying chocolates seemed suspicious," Inez said, stating the facts. "Why do you find it suspicious?"

"He did not just buy a box of chocolates," Chef Foody explained. "He bought a dozen boxes of them."

"Did he say anything else?" Digit asked. "Anything at all?"

"Not much," Chef Foody replied. "However, he did say that buying the chocolates was the first part of his master plan."

"Dr. Marbles was right," Inez said to Digit. "Hacker is up to something big."

"Well, that's all I know," Chef Foody said, leading them out of his office.

"Thanks for the help, Chef Foody," Digit said, as they stood in front of the counter once again.

"My pleasure, I am glad to be of some help," Chef Foody replied, smiling. "Is there anything else that you need?"

Inez looked down at the large display of desserts and licked her lips. She rummaged through her shorts pocket for some snelfus, figuring that Digit, Slider, Matt and Jackie would want something sweet to eat later. She definitely wanted something.

"Actually, yes," Inez said, knowing what everyone liked. "Two chocolate éclairs, an apple pie, a small strawberry cheesecake and half a dozen chocolate chip cookies please."

Chef Foody smiled at the thought of making another sale and began calculating the total cost of the requested desserts at the cash register.

"That will be thirty-two snelfus," Chef Foody said, as he pulled out a large white box and began placing the desserts inside.

Inez pulled a wad of snelfus out of her shorts pocket and counted out the required amount.

"Here are your desserts," Chef Foody said, handing Inez the box, tied with a red silk ribbon.

"Thank you," Inez replied, passing Chef Foody two twenty snelfu bills. "Keep the change."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Slider and Matt arrived at the Northern Frontier. They approached Hacker's hangar and parked behind a large boulder nearby to hide their presence.<p>

"I saw the Wreaker in there," Matt said, as they climbed out of the coupe. "He's definitely home."

"Let's see what he's up to," Slider suggested, as they made their way to the hangar's entrance.

Practically tiptoeing, Matt and Slider approached the entrance to the hangar. Matt peeked around the corner and was relieved to find that no one was in the hangar.

"Okay, the coast is clear," he said, gesturing for Slider to step forward.

"Hacker is probably in the Wreaker," Slider said.

"Well, let's try to find a window on the Wreaker where we can see him, but they can't see us," Matt suggested, walking up to the Wreaker.

"Okay, but I highly doubt that Hacker installed one-way mirrors on the Wreaker," Slider said, as he followed Matt.

On the way to the Wreaker, Slider grabbed a ladder leaning against the wall. He leaned it against the Wreaker at the front, right next to the windows carefully as to not alert anyone inside of their presence. Matt climbed up first and peeked into one of the higher windows, while Slider climbed up and looked into one of the lower windows.

"It's empty," Slider said, looking up at Matt.

"I found them!" Matt hissed, sliding over a bit, so Slider could climb up to see.

* * *

><p>"Tell us again why you bought a dozen boxes of chocolates, boss," Delete said, confused. "Why do you need so many?"<p>

"Patience, my dysfunctional duncebuckets," Hacker replied, leaning back in his recharging chair. "All will be revealed eventually."

"While you were at Chef Foody's, you could have picked up some doughnuts!" Buzz exclaimed, disappointed. "He makes the best ones in all of Cyberspace."

"Doughnuts are not needed for this plan of mine," Hacker explained, cracking a sinister smile.

"What is your plan, boss?" Delete asked.

"Let's just say it will change everything," Hacker said, not wanting to reveal everything.

"So, what's phase two of your plan, boss?" Buzz asked.

"Before we can begin phase two, we must stop at the Cybrary tomorrow," Hacker said.

"Why, boss?" Delete asked, curiously.

"I need to make sure I'm doing this right," Hacker said. "If I don't do it right, well, the results may turn out ugly and I may not make it out alive."

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that?" Matt asked, bewildered.<p>

"Sure, did," Slider said, appalled. "This scheme must be incredibly huge if he's willing to risk his life for it."

"We better call Inez and Digit to let them know what's going on," Matt said, pulling his skwak pad out of his jeans pocket.

Before Matt could contact Inez, his skwak pad rang. Thanks to the new caller ID function Dr. Marbles installed in their skwak pads, they could easily identify incoming callers.

"Hey, Nezzie, I was just going to call you," Matt said, answering the call. His eyes widened. "Okay, right, sorry!"

"Don't call her Nezzie," Slider reminded him, much to Matt's annoyance.

"Anyway, what did you find out from Chef Foody?" Matt asked, as Inez answered him. "His chocolates are for a big master plan? That makes sense."

"We should go!" Slider hissed. "Before Hacker catches us."

"Slider and I overheard Hacker having a conversation with Buzz and Delete," Matt said, as he made his way down the ladder and followed Slider out of the hangar. "Yeah, we're heading to the coupe now. Just wait outside Chef Foody's shop. We'll pick you two up on the way to see Jackie in Tikiville. Once we're all together, we'll update you on what we know."

Slider approached the coupe first and hopped into the driver's seat. Matt seated himself shotgun and ended his call with Inez.

"So, let's go pick up everyone," Slider said, as he closed the hatch of the coupe and started the engine.

"Hopefully Jackie is done with her photoshoot in Tikiville," Matt said, as they drove off.

* * *

><p>After picking up Inez and Digit from Sensible Flats, Matt and Slider headed over to Tikiville. When they arrived, they hovered slightly above the ground, keeping an eye out for Jackie's photoshoot location.<p>

"She said it would be an outdoor photoshoot," Inez said, as she observed her surroundings. "I'm not sure where in Tikiville though."

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Matt reassured his girlfriend, before taking a bit out of the chocolate éclair she bought him.

They flew past Creech's royal palace and looked around the villages, but they was no sign of Jackie. Eventually, they made their way to a lush green forest several cybermiles from one of the villages.

"This is taking too long," Digit groaned, leaning his head back. "At this rate, we'll find Jackie _after _Hacker puts his master plan into action."

"I should call her," Inez suggested. "Maybe she took a portal back to Control Central already."

"No need to call her," Slider said, staring at the scene before him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Sitting with her ankles crossed on a large rock surrounding by lush trees and flowers in bloom was Jackie. She was wearing a white, sleeveless, V-neck, flowy sundress and platinum stilettos. Her head was tilted to the side as she looked up into the sky casually, her dark, wavy hair blowing in the wind. Her left hand rested on the side of her face while her right hand rested on her lap.

"Gorgeous!" the photographer exclaimed, snapping some shots with his camera. "Amazing!"

Jackie turned her head to look into the distance with a mysterious looked on her face and her lips parted.

"Beautiful, outstanding!" the photographer cried, snapping some more shots of Jackie.

Slider landed the coupe nearby and opened the hatch. He was the first one to jump out of the coupe and make his way towards Jackie. Digit, Matt and Inez followed him, with smirks on their faces.

Jackie turned her head again and noticed her friends and boyfriend approaching her. She smiled and turned to the photographer.

"Mind if we take five?" she asked him.

"Take a day!" the photographer exclaimed, holding his camera up. "Two if you want! We're done the photoshoot!"

Jackie nodded and hopped off of the rock. She hurried towards the approaching group of familiar faces and threw her arms around Slider.

"So, what did you think?" she asked him.

"Beautiful," Slider answered, smiling down at his girlfriend.

"I know," Jackie replied, gesturing to her dress. "I love the style of this dress. Thank goodness I get to keep it."

"I was talking about you," Slider pointed out, as he kissed her.

"Get a room," Matt said, rolling his eyes. "Or better yet, a cave. I'm pretty sure there's one here somewhere."

"Oh, shut up, Matt," Inez said, as she handed Jackie the box of desserts. "Here, I picked up some desserts while at Chef Foody's. Yours is in there somewhere."

Jackie opened up the box and was happy to spot her dessert among the chocolate chip cookies and apple pie.

"Strawberry cheesecake!" Jackie squealed, happily. "Thanks!"

"No problem," Inez replied.

"Anyway, we've got some more news about Hacker," Slider said, seriously.

"Lay it on me," Jackie said, listening attentively.

"The purchase of the many chocolates is only the first phase of his master plan," Matt explained. "He's going to start phase two tomorrow."

"But, he said he has to visit the Cybrary first," Slider added. "He said he has to do his plan correctly or else something could go wrong and he might not make it out alive."

"I hope it does happen," Matt said, laughing. "The 'not making it out alive' part, not the 'do the plan correctly' part."

"You can say that again," Inez said, with a laugh.

"Do you know what time he'll be at the Cybrary tomorrow?" Jackie asked.

"He didn't say," Matt replied.

"Well, let's meet there early tomorrow, just in case he does show up early," Jackie suggested. "I'll develop a plan to spy on him, without getting caught."

Just then, a shrill ringing came from Inez's shorts pocket. She reached into her pocket and read the caller ID on her skwak pad.

"It's my mom," Inez said, biting her bottom lip.

"Remember, don't tell her what's going on," Jackie warned her. "Not yet, anyway."

"What do you mean by 'not yet'?" Matt questioned, suspiciously. "You're not thinking about revealing our big secret to her parents, are you?"

"Not just her parents," Jackie said. "Look, Matt, I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick about hiding half of my life from my parents. Also, my agent told me that I'll be the first model walking in the Cyber Fashion Week fashion show in a few weeks. I want my parents to know about this."

"I want to tell my parents about our lives here too," Matt admitted. "I mean, my slugball career is a huge thing for me. I want them to know."

"Inez wants her parents to know, as well," Jackie added. "You know, about her writing career."

"Look, we'll discuss whether or not you three should reveal your secret careers to your parents later," Slider said, a bit irritated. "Right now, Inez should answer her skwak before her mom suspects something."

Matt and Jackie nodded, looking to Inez, who nodded and answered her skwak.

"Sorry for the wait, Mom," she said. "I didn't here my phone ringing over the chatter. People just can't stop talking about the new action movie that's playing at the cinema."

"We should head home," Matt whispered to Inez, so her mom on the other line wouldn't hear. "Besides, there's not much we can do today."

"The cinema at the mall, Mom," Inez said, getting Matt's message. "Yeah, we'll be on our way home, as soon as Matt's order is finished."

Inez held out her skwak pad as Matt got into character.

"I see pickles!" he yelled, sounding frustrated. "I told you, no pickles in my chicken burger!"

"Okay, see you soon, Mom," Inez said. "I love you, too."

Inez hung up and started laughing at Matt's performance.

"That was hilarious, Matt!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks," Matt replied, smiling. "Come on, we better get going."

"I'll call Ms. Fileshare," Inez said, gesturing to her skwak pad, as they made their way to the coupe. "She should know of the plan."

"Speaking of plans, I'll plan one for tomorrow's espionage mission," Jackie added. "I'll message you the details first thing tonight."

The five members of the Cybersquad reached the coupe. Slider sat in the driver's seat, while Jackie seated herself shotgun. Digit, Matt and Inez piled into the backseat. With a roar of the engine, the coupe took off into the sky.

Chapter 2 Up! =D Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

Next chapter: The espionage mission in the Cybrary, Hacker begins phase two of his master plan and the squad's secret is almost blown at dinner.

-TeenQueen661


	3. Spying in the Cybrary

Living a Double Life

Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 3! =D

Chapter 3: Spying in the Cybrary

When she returned home, Jackie developed a plan for spying on Hacker in the Cybrary. She spent the remainder of the afternoon working on the plan. Her constant thinking and attention to detail resulted in one foolproof plan and an overflowing wastebasket of crumpled papers. Delighted with her plan, she called up everyone at night and informed everyone about the plan.

The next morning, Jackie took a portal to Control Central and took the coupe to Poddleville. She parked outside Inez's office and book store and hopped out. Shari, who normally arrived for work early, let her into the building and she made her way to the back of the store, where Inez's office was located.

Jackie opened the office door and found Inez at her desk, waiting for the printer to spit out papers.

"Hey, I figured I would find you here," Jackie said, approaching her friend.

"I left my mom a note, saying I was going for an early morning jog, before spending the day with you and Matt," Inez explained, as the printer finished printing out a document. "Then, I came here."

"So, let's get going to the Cybrary," Jackie said.

"Oh, wait," Inez said, slipping the printed papers into a folder. "Can we stop by my publisher's office on the way and drop this off to the editor?"

"Sure, but make it quick," Jackie said, as she and Inez headed out of the office. "By the way, what's this story called?"

"_Tessellating Troubles_," Inez answered. "It's about our adventure in that lava-filled pyramid, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember," Jackie said, looking concerned. "You didn't mention anything about me getting sprayed with orange marmalade, did you?"

"Got to keep the readers interested," Inez answered, with a laugh.

Shari watched with a raised eyebrow, as Jackie chased Inez past her and out of the store.

* * *

><p>After a quick stop at the publisher's office, Inez and Jackie took the coupe to the Cybrary, where they met up with Digit, Slider and Matt at the front desk with Ms. Fileshare. After a quick discussion with the cybrarian, the plan was put into action.<p>

Shortly after the start of the plan, the front doors slid open and Buzz and Delete walked in, followed by Hacker. They walked up to a nearby computer and Hacker began searching for a book.

There was a ding and Hacker smiled, evilly.

"Good, the book wasn't checked out," Hacker said, laughing. "It's in the 'Informations' room on the twenty-fourth floor."

"Okay, boss," Buzz said, nodding.

"Well, don't just stand there, you lazy duncebuckets!" Hacker yelled, pointing in a random direction. "Go find us a Cybrary cart!"

"We're on it, boss!" Buzz and Delete replied, in unison, as they hurried away to fulfill Hacker's request.

Hacker watched his henchmen run off, before he walked after them.

Jackie, who had been hiding behind the large computer, stepped out of her hiding place and whipped out her skwak pad to make a call.

"Jacks?" Slider said, answering the call. "Where is he headed to?"

"The 'Instructions' room on the twenty-fourth floor," Jackie answered, as she flipped through a thick book in front of her. "He's taking a Cybrary cart there, so find another way to get there first."

"How do we get there?" Slider asked, speaking for himself, Matt and Inez. "The elevator is too slow. Can we use the mail tube?"

"The mail tube doesn't lead to that room," Jackie said, reading a page of information. "Use the teleporter pad."

* * *

><p>There were several borgs in the 'Information' room, checking out books on how to do different things such as putting up a tent or brewing a love potion. Slider ushered them out of the room and into the elevator, so they didn't freak out when they saw Hacker and call for them, which would spoil their espionage plan.<p>

Matt was hiding behind a bookshelf. He removed a book from its slot and used the open slot to view the entire room from his hiding place. Inez was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, hiding her face and upper half of her body by reading a newspaper.

"Okay, the coast is clear," Slider said, hurrying back into the room. "We're good to go."

"Then, get into your hiding spot," Inez instructed. "Hacker should be here any minute."

Slider nodded and made his way to the nearest window. He darted behind one of the long curtains, just as a whooshing sound was heard from the chute.

Inez looked over her newspaper slightly to see that Hacker had arrived with Buzz and Delete in a Cybrary cart.

"The place is awfully quiet today," Hacker said, looking around the room.

Inez lowered her head behind the newspaper again and stared at a picture on one of the pages, advertising kappatrons.

"Come on, boss," Buzz said. "Get your book and leave, before someone suspects something."

"Don't rush the Hacker!" Hacker yelled, as he made his way to a bookshelf that was several bookshelves away from Matt's.

Slider pulled the curtain aside slightly and spotted Hacker pull a book out of the bookshelf and read the cover.

"This is it," Hacker stated, confidently. "Once I read the next chapter, I can begin phase two of my master plan."

"What's the book called, boss?" Delete asked, curiously.

"There's no need for you to know, you duncebucket!" Hacker snarled, as they made their way back to the Cybrary cart. "Just drive!"

"To the checkout, boss?" Buzz asked.

"Nonsense, I'm not being a good borg and checking a book out!" Hacker scoffed. "We're going straight to the Wreaker on the roof."

Matt looked through the open slot in his bookshelf and watched Hacker climb into the backseat of the Cybrary cart. Buzz seated himself shotgun and Delete sat in the driver's seat. Once they made their descent down the chute, Inez threw her newspaper to the ground.

"Okay, he's gone!" Inez called to Slider and Matt. "Come on out!"

"Did you happen to see the title of the book he took out?" Matt asked his girlfriend.

"No, I couldn't get a good glimpse of it without him seeing me," Inez explained, disappointed.

"I'll call Jackie and let her know what happened," Slider said, taking out his skwak pad and calling his girlfriend.

"Hey, Slider," Jackie said, answering the call. "What happened?"

"Hacker took out a book, but we couldn't read the title of it without him seeing us," Slider explained.

"Don't worry," Jackie reassured him. "Once he comes down to check out the book, Ms. Fileshare will be able to tell me what book it is."

"That's the thing, he's not checking it out," Slider said. "Why would he? He said so himself. He's evil, remember?"

"You got a point there," Jackie said, with a sigh. "It will take Ms. Fileshare forever to get into the system and find out which book is labelled 'present,' but actually missing in the Cybrary. Also, she's really busy, so she'll have no time to do it."

"By the time we figure out which book Hacker took out, Hacker could be on another phase of his plan," Slider added. "Now what?"

"Meet Digit and I in the coupe," Jackie replied. "We'll follow Hacker and see what phase two is."

"He's on his way to the Wreaker on the roof right now," Slider informed Jackie, as he gestured for Matt and Inez to follow him. "We have to hurry."

* * *

><p>After following Hacker for several days and being careful not to get caught by him, the members of the Cybersquad were tired and somewhat surprised at what they had learned. Their rumbling stomachs indicated that they had skipped a meal or two during the mission, so everyone, with the exception of Digit, decided to go out for dinner. Digit offered to stay behind to help Dr. Marbles with Motherboard's annual tune-up.<p>

At a Japanese sushi joint on Earth, Slider, Matt, Inez and Jackie were seated at a table around a large stove, which their chef cleaned after cooking their food. After the chef left, the teens ate while discussing phase two of Hacker's plan.

"I'm shocked," Inez said, looking up from her plate. "Pass the California rolls, Matt."

"Tell me about it," Matt replied, handing Inez her requested dish. "This is really confusing."

"I agree," Jackie said, putting her glass of water down. "Pass the salmon please, Inez."

"Grapes!" Slider cried, looking perplexed. "What is Hacker going to do with a large crate of grapes?"

"Beats me," Matt said, shrugging his shoulders. "Hand me the fried rice, Jacks."

"I can't believe we followed Hacker around Cyberspace just to watch him pick up a large crate of grapes from Tikiville!" Inez cried, bewildered.

Jackie looked over at Slider, who was having a difficult time eating his food.

"How do you work these Earth contraptions?" Slider asked, frustrated.

"They're chopsticks, Sly," Jackie said, passing him a fork. "Use a fork if it's easier for you."

"I wonder what his master plan has to do with a large crate of grapes," Matt said, deep in thought.

"I don't know, but we better figure it out before Hacker starts phase three of his master plan," Inez said. "Could I have the bean sprouts please, Slider?"

"Jackie!"

"I know that voice," Jackie said, her head popping up at the sound of the voice.

Matt turned her head towards the door and noticed Jackie's parents walking up to them. He, along with Slider and Inez, looked over at Jackie, who looked pale. Not only did her parents not know about Cyberspace, they also did not know Slider, let alone know that he was Jackie's boyfriend.

"Mom!" Jackie said, faking enthusiasm, as she turned to greet her parents. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

"Your father and I thought we would go out to eat tonight," Mrs. Edwards explained. "It's funny that we would run into you and your friends here."

"I see you're with Matt and Inez, but I have never seen this boy before," Mr. Edwards said, his eyes narrowing at Slider. "Have we met?"

Slider looked at Inez, Matt and Jackie, who looked extremely worried. They were hoping that Slider wouldn't blow their secret, let alone his.

"I'm Slider, it's a pleasure to meet you," Slider said, shaking hands with his girlfriend's parents.

Jackie breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking Slider for not mentioning that he was dating her. Her parents would blow a fuse if they found out she had been dating someone secretly.

"It's nice to meet you too, um, Slider," Mrs. Edwards said, wondering why anyone would want to name their child, 'Slider.'

"And where exactly are you from, Slider?" Mr. Edwards questioned, sounding like a typical overprotective father. "Jackie has never mentioned you before."

"Well, sir," Slider replied, forgetting for a second that he was not supposed to blow his girlfriend's and his friends' secret. "I'm from Ra..."

"Raleigh!" Jackie piped up, interrupting Slider. "Raleigh, North Carolina. He was a new student at our school this year, Dad. He was in my Spanish class."

Matt and Inez breathed sighs of relief, extremely thankful that Jackie was able to cover up Slider's minor blunder.

"Well, we'll leave you to eat with your friends, Jackie," Mrs. Edwards said, her eyes drifting from her daughter to Slider. "Again, it was nice meeting you, Slider."

Slider nodded at Jackie's parents, who went back to the front desk to ask a hostess for a table. Once they were out of earshot, Slider breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for saving me, Jacks," he said, looking at his girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I almost blew your secret."

"It's okay," Jackie reassured him. "You're just lucky I have an A in United States Geography."

"Out of curiosity, what is the United States?" Slider asked, curiously. "What's Raleigh? North Carolina? And what's Spanish?"

"The country Matt, Jackie and I live in, the capital city of North Carolina, one of the fifty states of this country and our country's second language," Inez stated. "In that order."

"I think I got it," Slider said, with a laugh.

"Anyway, what are we doing tomorrow?" Matt asked the group. "Are we spying on Hacker again?"

"I, for one, believe we shouldn't," Inez replied. "We can't just keep spying on him. He's bound to catch us eventually. His evil plans may fail often, but he's not stupid."

"We should just back off, for now, but keep our eyes open for anything suspicious," Jackie suggested. "If Hacker does something related to his master plan, someone who sees it would call us, right?"

"You got a point there, Jacks," Matt said. "Besides, we don't know what he's doing after getting the grapes. We should just wait and see what happens. Knowing Hacker, there has got to be more than just three phases to his master plan."

"Well, until Hacker does something related to his master plan, we have some free time," Inez said.

"This is perfect!" Jackie exclaimed, looking at Slider. "Turns out we'll be cheering you on at the Radopolis Grand Prix tomorrow!"

"You all are coming?" Slider asked, excitedly. "You don't have other plans?"

"Not really," Jackie answered, with a smile. "Inez doesn't have work, Matt's slugball final is not for another week and my Cyber Fashion Week fashion show is not until the weekend after Matt's game."

"Awesome!" Slider yelled, happily. "The race is at eleven in the morning."

"We'll be there," Inez promised, holding up a plate. "Until then, teriyaki chicken anyone?"

Chapter 3 Up! =D Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

Next chapter: The Radopolis Grand Prix, a sighting of Hacker and Matt's explanation to his mother finding his skwak pad.

-TeenQueen661


	4. Another Close Call

Living a Double Life

A/N: Sorry for the very long wait. Blame school. Once again, thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 4! =D

Chapter 4: Another Close Call

At the Garcia residence, Inez was at her desk in her bedroom, typing at her computer. With _Tesellating Troubles _being edited, she decided to work on her next book, which would be about rescuing Ms. Fileshare from the Cybrary. After thinking long and hard about it, she decided to name the book _Trapped in the Cybrary_.

Just as Inez finished typing up a paragraph about locating Ms. Fileshare in the science room on the twentieth floor of the Cybrary, her skwak pad rang. She reached over and grabbed it to answer the call.

"Talk to me," Inez said, as she listened to the speaker on the other line. "Oh, yeah, the Radopolis Grand Prix is today!" Another reply was heard. "Sure, I'll meet you at Matt's place and we'll call Motherboard for a portal."

After ending the call with Jackie, Inez slipped her skwak pad into her shorts pocket. She saved her word document and dragged it into a work folder on her computer. As she made her way out of the room and down the stairs, she slipped her hand into the other shorts pocket to make sure she had enough snelfus with her.

"Bye, mom!" Inez said, as she passed her mom in the foyer. "I'm off."

"Again?" Mrs. Garcia asked, curiously. "Where are you going this time?"

"I'm meeting up with Matt and Jackie at the library," Inez replied, putting on her blue boots. "I'm tutoring them in, um, Spanish."

"But it's July," Mrs. Garcia pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "You all don't have school."

"Matt and Jackie are, uh, taking Spanish in summer school," Inez explained, thinking quickly. "They are, um, taking this year's Spanish course again to upgrade their low marks."

Before Mrs. Garcia could reply, Inez had bolted outside, slamming the door behind her.

"That's odd," Mrs. Garcia said to herself, as she made her way upstairs with the basket full of clean laundry. "She said last week that Matt and Jackie passed Spanish, but it was their math marks that could use upgrading."

* * *

><p>When Inez, Matt and Jackie entered the Radopolis Racing Arena, they were not surprised by the long length of the racetrack, let alone the large arena. Since they came to cheer on Slider at every Radopolis Grand Prix, they were used to the size of the arena.<p>

Inez purchased some beautiful red and yellow flags, which represented Slider. Matt bought a large popcorn and three large drinks, while Jackie bought herself some red and yellow pom poms. With their purchases in their hands, they made their way to their usual spot in the stands halfway from the racetrack, where they found Digit eating a hot dog.

"Hello, Earthlies," Digit greeted, as they sat down next to him.

"Hey, Didge," Inez replied, passing one flag each to Digit and Matt. "Isn't this exciting?"

"I, for one, am excited," Jackie said, happily.

"You must be," Matt said, smirking. "You're literally bouncing out of your seat."

"Well, of course I'm excited," Jackie answered, smiling. "If, no, when Slider wins this year's Radopolis Grand Prix, that will be his sixth win in a row."

"Is that the record?" Inez asked, curiously.

"No, the record is ten wins in a row," Digit answered. "Slider is almost there, though."

"He can do it," Jackie said, confidently. "I know he can."

"It's nice to know he has a supportive girlfriend," Inez said, with a smile.

"More like an obsessive girlfriend," Matt muttered, which earned him a hard shove from Inez.

"Shut up, Matt," Inez snapped.

Just then, the racers approached their coupes lined up at the starting line. Slider was among them. He looked up and spotted the other members of the Cybersquad. He waved to them and they waved back. Jackie blew him a kiss, while Matt rolled his eyes at the display of affection.

King Dudicus, the king of Radopolis, took a seat on his throne at the finish line. He held a white and black checkered flag in his right hand, as he waited patiently for the racers to climb into their coupes. In his left hand was a microphone.

"Borgs from all around Cyberspace!" he announced, as the noise level decreased. "Welcome to the fifty-sixth annual Radopolis Grand Prix!"

Everyone in the stands cheered and applauded loudly. Many of them were waving different coloured flags to show their support for the racers they liked. Jackie's smiled grew when she noticed that over half of the people in the stands were waving Slider's coloured flags.

"May the best borg win!" King Dudicus yelled. "Racers, start your engines!"

The racers started up their coupes and held onto their steering wheels tightly, while keeping an eye on the cryoxide and fuel gauges.

"Go, Slider!" Jackie exclaimed, waving her pom poms in the air, excitedly.

"On your mark!" King Dudicus shouted. "Get set!" He paused for dramatic effect, before shouting, "Go!"

Once the checkered flag was waved, the coupes zoomed off, with Slider taking the lead. Everyone in the stands started cheering again for their favourite racers. Some were even chanting racers' names, while others waved their flags, happily.

"He's in the lead!" Jackie squealed, shaking her pom poms. "You can do it, Sly!"

"What is the perimeter of the track again?" Matt asked Digit.

"Twenty cybermiles," Digit replied. "They have to drive three laps, so that's sixty cybermiles altogether."

"That's long, but at the speed these racers drive at, it's no wonder that the Radopolis Grand Prix doesn't last long," Inez said.

"Let's see where Slider is on the track," Digit said, whipping out a pair of binoculars from inside his hatch.

Through his binoculars, Digit was able to look into the distance and see where each of the racers were. He could see that Slider, in his red coupe, was still in the lead, with several coupes trailing him from behind.

"What's going on, Digit?" Jackie asked, impatiently. "Tell us!"

"Slider is still in the lead," Digit explained, putting down his binoculars. "Don't worry, he should be on his second lap right now."

Sure enough, Slider whooshed across the finish line, starting his second lap around the track. Several coupes were right behind him, trying to pass him.

"He just might win," Digit said, looking through his binoculars.

"What's happening now?" Matt asked.

"Shoot, the borg in the green coupe just passed him!" Digit cried, bewildered. "I don't believe it!"

"Gosh, I hope Slider doesn't get hurt or anything trying to pass him," Jackie said, concerned. "I mean, he's going so fast. What if he crashes?"

"Relax, Jacks," Inez reassured her. "Slider is a professional. He has done this before. He'll be fine."

Just then, Inez felt something vibrate in her shorts pocket. Realizing that it was her skwak pad, she whipped it out to answer the incoming call.

"Talk to me," Inez said. Someone on the other line replied, before Inez said, "Oh, hey, Shari. Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Digit, Matt and Jackie turned to look at Inez, whose face displayed a look of concern.

"What did he call you about?" Inez asked. Shari gave her reply, causing Inez to gasp. "Oh, of course you can leave work early. Just lock up the shop. We'll meet you at Frogsnorts as soon as we can."

"What happened?" Jackie asked, as Inez ended the call. "Is Shari okay?"

"She's fine, but Professor Stumblesnore called her at work to tell her that Frogsnorts might have been robbed, her room to be exact," Inez explained. "Her room was the only one that was trashed."

"We'll go as soon as the Radopolis Grand Prix is over," Jackie said. "Something tells me Hacker is behind the robbery."

* * *

><p>"Man, it looks like a hurricane hit," Matt said, commenting on the remains of Shari's room.<p>

Being the detective of the group, Inez, with her magnifying glass in her hand, began searching the room for any clues that indicated that Hacker was behind the robbery. Jackie had made a cup of tea for Shari in the mini kitchen located in the sorceror-in-training's room.

"So, what happened exactly?" Inez asked Shari, as she inspected a nearby desk.

"Well, I was working at your store when Professor Stumblesnore called," Shari explained, as she blew on her hot tea to cool it down. "He said to come back to Frogsnorts because it had been robbed."

"Did he happen to see anything suspicious prior to the robbery?" Inez questioned.

"I asked him if he saw who did this, but he said he was out for lunch and came back to find only my room trashed," Shari explained.

"Since all of the students are home for the summer, the Professor was out for lunch and you were at work, no one could have seen who robbed you," Inez explained.

"What makes you think someone stole something from me, anyway?" Shari asked, curiously.

"Something must be missing from your room, Shari," Matt said. "Borgs don't just trash random rooms in random places just for fun."

"Also, your room is the only one in Frogsnorts that is trashed," Inez added. "If thieves wanted to rob Frogsnorts, they would have raided every single room, knowing that no one was around to see them do it. Whoever did this only targeted you because you probably had something they wanted."

"Who could have done this?" Shari cried, biting her bottom lip.

Inez's eyes drifted from Shari's empty black cauldron to an open medium-sized treasure chest sitting on her night stand. She made her way towards the chest and, sure enough, it was empty.

"What do you keep in here, Shari?" Inez asked, as she inspected the chest more closely with her magnifying glass.

"A special book," Shari explained. "_A Mighty Sorceror's Guide to Potion Brewing and Spell Casting_. It was published thousands of years ago by the Ancient Witch of Castleblanca. It was the only copy ever made."

"It's missing," Inez said, as she ran her other hand through the inside of the chest.

"Oh, Merlin!" Shari gasped, sobbing. "That book has been in my family for generations! My great grandmother bought the only copy and it had been passed down from generation to generation! I ended up receiving it from my mother!"

"We'll find the book, Shari," Matt promised, looking over at his girlfriend. "Any leads, Inez?"

"Absolutely," Inez replied, removing her hand, which was now covered in yellow slime, from inside the chest. "Wig gel."

"Hacker!" Slider snarled, his eyes narrowing. "You were right, Jacks. Hacker was behind the robbery. He took Shari's book."

"It's a very valuable book," Shari said, calming down a bit. "Did Hacker steal it to sell it or something?"

"Maybe," Inez answered. "It's possible that he needs more snelfus to continue with his master plan."

"Or he could be practising wizardry again," Matt said. "Remember the Cosmic Crumpet incident?"

"Yeah, I remember," Jackie replied. "And if you remembered the incident correctly or read Inez's _Cosmic Crumpet Chaos _book, you would know it resulted in Hacker shrinking to a size of a Scritter. I don't think he stole the book to practise wizardry again."

"What are we going to do?" Matt asked. "We can't just find Hacker and take the book back. He'll suspect something."

"Well, he's most likely going to auction it to make extra snelfus," Digit said, taking out his skwak pad. "I'll call up that auction place, 'U Want, U Bid' and tell someone that the book that may be up for auction has been reported stolen, and to return it to us as soon as possible."

"Well, all we can do is wait, Shari," Jackie said to the sorceror-in-training. "Don't worry, you'll get it back."

"I sure hope so," Shari said.

"I know how to make time pass by for you," Inez said, slipping her magnifying glass into her shorts pocket. "Come and hang with us today."

"Sure, but what will we be doing?" Shari asked, curiously.

"Celebrating my sixth Radopolis Grand Prix win!" Slider exclaimed, holding up a large gold trophy, nearly overflowing with snelfus.

"Off to the Starlight Nightclub!" Matt announced, leading the group out of Shari's room.

"Hold on a minute, Matt," Jackie said, as the group came to a halt. "What about the paparazzi outside following Slider because of his sixth Radopolis Grand Prix win?"

"Oh, I can take care of that," Shari answered, with a smirk, as she pulled out her wand from inside her wizard robes.

"You're not going to hurt them, are you?" Inez asked, concerned.

"Of course not," Shari replied, fingering her wand with an evil grin. "Tell me Slider, should the paparazzi be stunned, hexed or electricuted?"

Slider's eyes widened to the size of frisbees, as he made a mental note to never mess with Shari Spotter.

* * *

><p>To celebrate Slider's sixth Radopolis Grand Prix win in a row, the Cybersquad and Shari decided to hit one of Cyberspace's hottest teen night clubs, located on level six of the Cyber Grand Tower. It was known for its amazing entertainment and large selection of drinks.<p>

Many teen borgs from all around Cyberspace were dancing on the dance floor to the music, courtesy of Justin Bieborg. Girlish squeals were heard every few minutes as they all crowded around the stage for a better look at the borg pop sensation.

Shari and the five members of the Cybersquad were at the bar, congratulating Slider once more on his win. Matt ordered them all CyberBurpies. Once the drinks were served, Inez raised her bottle and led everyone in a toast.

"Congratulations on your win, Slider!" she announced, as the others also raised their bottles of CyberBurpies into the air. "Here is to many more Radopolis Grand Prix titles!"

"Yeah!" Matt cheered, before downing his drink.

Digit, Slider, Shari, Inez and Jackie took a small gulp of their drinks. Matt, having finished the bottle, slammed it onto the counter and asked the bartender for another one.

"Man, that's going to give you a major sugar rush," Slider said, staring at the redhead.

"Yeah, it may not be alcohol, but that's like drinking soda back on Earth," Inez added. "At this rate, you're not going to get any sleep anytime soon."

"Hey, it's a special night," Matt pointed out, as the bartender handed him another CyberBurpie. "We should let loose and have fun."

"We still have a mission to complete," Jackie reminded him. "We can't have you bouncing off of the walls while we're trying to do our jobs."

Matt ignored the fashion model and started downing his second drink.

"This is exciting," Shari commented, looking at the girls. "It's been a while since I went out to have fun. You know, with my studies and all."

"Everyone needs a break," Inez said, with a smile. "Even you."

"Anyone up for another round?" Matt asked.

"I'll pass," Jackie replied, rolling her eyes.

Before Inez could scold Matt for drinking too many CyberBurpies, her skwak pad rang. She placed her drink onto the counter and whipped out her skwak pad to answer the incoming call.

"Hello?" she said, before someone on the other line replied. "Oh, hi, Mom...yeah...we're still at the library...oh...well, I'll tell him, then...I'll be home soon...okay, I will. Bye, Mom."

"What's up?" Matt asked, as Inez slipped her skwak pad back into her shorts pocket.

"Your mom tried to call you, but you're not answering her calls," she explained. "She wants you home for dinner."

Matt reached for his orange backpack and rummaged inside, only to find that his skwak pad was missing.

"Shoot, I forgot my skwak pad at home!" he said, as he hopped off of his seat, his backpack in his arms. "I better go home."

"You have slugball practise tomorrow, right?" Jackie asked. Matt nodded in response. "Okay, we'll continue with the mission anyway, but if we need you, we'll call you."

"Take the coupe back to Control Central and ask Motherboard for a portal there," Slider added, tossing him the keys. "We'll call Motherboard later for our own portals."

Matt nodded once again and caught the keys that were tossed at him. With a quick wave, he disappeared into the crowd of dancers and tried to make his way to the elevator.

* * *

><p>"Matthew Pillon, where on Earth have you been?" Mrs. Pillon questioned, with her eyes narrowed and her hands on her hips.<p>

After returning to Control Central and asking Motherboard for a portal, Matt managed to return to Earth. The portal took him to his farm, the inside of the barn to be exact. Thankfully, no one was there at the time.

However, he was in for a long talk the minute he ran through the front door of the house and found his mother giving him an angry look.

_"I wasn't on Earth,"_ Matt thought, before he responded, "I was at the library with Inez and Jackie."

"Why weren't you answering my calls?" she asked, pretending to be deep in thought. "Oh, that's right! You forgot your phone at home!"

Matt's eyes widened as Mrs. Pillon pulled out his skwak pad from inside the pocket of her apron.

"Since when do you have a cell phone like this, Matthew?" she questioned, holding up the odd-looking device.

"Since it came out," Matt replied, quickly, as he took the skwak pad from her. "It's, um, the most popular cell phone on the market, Mom."

"Well, at least you paid for it yourself," Mrs. Pillon said, calming down a bit. "Just don't forget it at home again. You never know when I may need to call you."

"Okay, Mom," Matt said.

"Oh, I noticed your screensaver," Mrs. Pillon added, pointing at the picture of Matt and the rest of the members of the Tikiville Titans on the screen. "When was this taken?"

"At camp last summer," Matt lied, hoping she would believe him.

"Some of the kids look odd," Mrs. Pillon remarked, looking at several of the borgs, some whose faces were purple and some who were cyboids like Digit and had beaks.

"They were put on the camp baseball team for their batting and catching skills, Mom," Matt explained, trying to take his mother's attention off of some of his fellow teammates' physical appearances. "Not for their looks."

"Well, it's time for dinner, Matthew," Mrs. Pillon said, deciding to ignore some of the odd-looking borgs on Matt's screensaver. "Go wash your hands and come to the dining room."

Matt nodded, as he slipped his skwak pad into his backpack and bolted up the stairs.

Chapter 4 Up! =D Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

Next chapter: Trouble in Pompadouria and things take a turn for the worst when the princess' palace is targeted.

-TeenQueen661


	5. Pompadouria in Peril

Living A Double Life

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 5! =D

Chapter 5: Pompadouria in Peril

"Back from my go-see!" Jackie called, entering the bookstore. "I booked several more modelling...whoa, what happened here?"

Jackie nearly dropped her modelling portfolio as she took in the sight before her. The entire floor of the store was nearly buried in books of different colours and designs. Shari was standing in one of the few dozen cardboard boxes that lay open, while Inez was sitting on one of the smaller bookshelves, with a stack of books in her hands.

"Did the Cybrary throw up or something?" Jackie asked, looking at the girls for some answers.

"No, but the large shipment of Inez's books came in," Shari answered, climbing out of the box. "Very unorganized, I might add."

"They mixed up the newly published books with the extra orders of old books," Inez explained. "There are _Cosmic Crumpet Chaos_ books and _Grab Those Gleamers_ books mixed in the box with the _Poddleville Pattern Problems_ books."

"And there are _Ecohaven Egg-Venture_ books mixed with the box full of the _Mean Green Madness_ books," Shari added.

"Do you need a hand?" Jackie asked, placing her portfolio onto a nearby shelf.

"Yes, please," Inez replied, hopping off of the shelf she was sitting on. "We need to place the books on the correctly labelled shelves."

Jackie nodded and picked up several books off of the ground. Shari picked up several _Cyberstatic Craziness _books and started maneuvering her way through the sea of books to a purple shelf at the other end of the store.

"Once we get these books organized, we can restock the shelves and store the extra books in the stock room," Inez said, slipping several books into empty slots on a green shelf nearby.

"Thank Merlin that the store is closed today, Inez!" Shari called from the other end of the store.

"I know!" Inez yelled. "Hopefully we can get everything organized again before the store opens tomorrow!"

"These packagers have terrible organization skills," Jackie said, frowning. "You should call them and complain."

"I'll do it later," Inez replied.

Just then, the doors slid open and Slider ran in, shouting, "Yo, we have a prob...what the...was there an earthquake or something?"

"No, but if there was, I'm sure the store would have been reduced to rubble," Inez explained. "I shouldn't have to worry though, since major earthquakes only occur on Topsy Turvy Island."

"Anyway, what's going on, Slider?" Jackie asked, concerned. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, we need to regroup," Slider explained, quickly. "All of us. The Princess of Pompadouria called about an emergency."

"That means we need Matt," Inez said, hurrying towards Slider and Jackie. "He's at slugball practise now."

"Yeah, in Tikiville," Slider explained. "We have to pick him up on the way to Pompadouria."

"Then, we better get going," Inez said, turning to Shari, who just came back from restocking a shelf. "Shari, we have to go."

"It's probably another Hack-Attack," Shari answered. "Don't worry, I'll handle things here until you get back."

Inez nodded and bolted out the door with Slider. Jackie grabbed her modelling portfolio and hurried after them.

* * *

><p>"I'm hungry," Matt said, as the Princess of Pompadouria led him and the other members of the Cybersquad up a flight of stairs in her palace.<p>

"Perhaps we should eat first," Slider suggested, as they climbed the stairs. "Got any granola bars or something in your backpack?"

"Forget the granola bars," Matt said, his mouth salivating as different types of dishes crossed his mind. "This is a palace! I bet you if we ask, the chefs can whip us up a nice fresh lobster coated with...

"Will you two stop talking about food for just one second?" Jackie snapped. "We're on a mission! We'll eat later!"

Matt, rubbing his growling stomach, asked, "Can't we just stop for a quick..."

"No!" Inez and Jackie shouted, simultaneously.

"So, your Highness," Digit said, not wanting to get involved in the argument. "What's the emergency?"

"I'll show you," the princess replied, as they reached the rooftop of the palace tower.

Leading them towards the edge, the princess gestured for the five members of the Cybersquad to step forward. They took one glimpse of the scenery below and their eyes widened. What used to be fields full of a wide variety of flowers in bloom were empty meadows.

"What happened?" Inez asked, shocked. "It looks like a harvest gone too far."

"Are all of the fields in Pompadouria like the ones across from your palace?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah, the palace guards woke me up this morning to alert me of this," the princess explained, gesturing to the empty fields. "I can't believe someone so heartless would harvest all of the flowers in Pompadouria and leave none left for my citizens to enjoy."

"We have a feeling we may know who was behind this," Slider said. "But, just to be sure, do you know who's behind it?"

"I sent some of the guards into town this morning to see if anyone noticed anything strange," the princess explained. "A borg said he noticed the Grim Wreaker parked in a meadow across from his house."

"I knew Hacker was behind all of this," Matt said. "The only thing I don't know is why Hacker would take all of the flowers from Pompadouria."

"Beats me," Slider said. "I mean, taking flowers? That doesn't sound evil."

"There's more," the princess said. "That same borg overheard Buzz and Delete say something about Hacker heading to the palace sometime today. The borg tried to report them to the guards, but by the time the guards showed up, Buzz and Delete were gone."

"This is not good, this is not good at all," Inez said, biting her bottom lip.

"Do you have something that Hacker wants?" Jackie asked.

"He probably wants to steal something," the princess answered. "I mean, I have a vault full of gold coins and thousands of jewels for crying out loud!"

"Not to mention expensive paintings and old antiques," Inez added.

"Or he could kidnap you, your Highness," Jackie added. "You never know what evil scheme Hacker has planned."

"What am I going to do?" the princess asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, your Highness," Slider said, with a bow. "You will not leave our sight. I assure you that as long as you're with us, you'll be fine."

"Despite the strong protection the palace guards provide, Hacker is going to have his sneaky ways of getting into the palace," Jackie explained. "We must keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"We need a game plan," Matt said. "Let's split up and cover more ground. If we find Hacker or any of his henchmen, we'll call the palace guards for help."

"You should stay in your room, your Highness, for your own protection," Jackie suggested. "I'll go with you and make sure there are guards standing outside your bedroom door at all times."

"Thank you," the princess replied, gratefully. "I really appreciate it."

"The rest of you will split up and make sure nothing unusual occurs," Jackie ordered. "Alert the palace guards using your skwak pads if you see Hacker, Buzz, Delete or any other evil henchmen roaming the palace grounds."

"I'll keep an eye out on the rooms on the first two floors," Digit offered.

"I'll cover the third and fourth floors," Inez said.

"I'll take the palace courtyard and gardens," Slider offered.

"I'll be on the lookout for anything odd in the underground levels," Matt said.

With all of the important roles assigned, the five members of the Cybersquad went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Several palace guards escorted the princess and Jackie to the princess' bedroom that she shared with her husband. After making sure the two women were safely inside the room, the guards closed the door and stood tall right outside, their eyes open for any possible threats.<p>

Jackie and the princess passed the time by chatting about their men, as well as other feminine topics, which included shopping, dancing and make-up. Jackie made sure to keep her skwak pad on, just in case someone called her about a problem.

Half an hour since the start of the mission, Jackie decided to contact the other Cybersquad members, just to make sure they were okay and that they weren't tied up or anything.

"Hey, Inez," Jackie said, calling her best friend. "Anything yet?"

"No, there's nothing out of the ordinary," Inez replied. "Except for one thing."

"And what would that be?" Jackie asked, fearing the worst.

"There's a painting of Aquari-yum on the third floor that needs to be straightened out a bit," Inez explained, with a laugh.

"Very funny," Jackie said, with a smile. "Other than that so-called crisis, anything else?"

"Not yet," Inez answered. "How are the others?"

"I'm going to call them right now," Jackie said.

"Well, I'll hang up then," Inez replied, as she ended the call.

With the push of a few buttons and a moment of ringing, someone on the other line picked up.

"Hey, Sly," Jackie greeted, smiling. "No sign of Hacker yet?"

"Nope, no sign of his henchmen either," Slider answered. "Everything seems fine so...hold on a minute!"

"What is it?" Jackie asked, jumping off of the chair she was sitting on. "What's wrong?"

"Someone dug a hole behind a large bush in the garden," Slider explained, quickly. "It looks like a tunnel of some sort. It's pretty big."

"Shoot, Hacker must be inside the palace already!" Jackie said, frantically. "Oh, no, he's heading to the underground levels!"

"That's where Matt is!" Slider pointed out. "He's going to need help. He might get hurt."

"You contact the palace guards and inform them of the situation!" Jackie ordered. "I'll call Digit, Matt and Inez! I'll regroup with you all down in the lower levels!"

"You got it!" Slider said. "You be careful, Jacks."

"You, too," Jackie replied, ending the call. She turned to the princess and said, "I have to go."

"Hacker is in the palace?" the princess questioned, nervously. "Please stop him!"

"We'll do our best," Jackie answered.

Deciding that it would take too long to call Digit, Matt and Inez one by one, she decided to send them all a quick message. Typing as fast as her thumbs would let her, she typed a brief message that read:

_911 Underground! Go!_

She sent the message to the appropriate recipients, before slipping her skwak pad into her skirt pocket and quickly making her way to the door.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Matt was patrolling one of the underground corridors, with a fiery torch in his hand to light up his path. He treaded softly, his eyes darting from side to side, as if one false move could trigger a trap.<p>

Suddenly, his skwak pad vibrated in his jeans pocket. He whipped it out with his free hand and when he read the message that he received, his eyes widened.

"Shoot!" Matt muttered, sliding his skwak pad back into his pocket. "We have to hurry!"

Determined to thwart Hacker's next phase of his plan, Matt hurried down the corridor, quietly, so he did not alert Hacker of his presence if he was nearby. When he made it to the end of the corridor, he came face to face with two different corridors to go down. Sweating like a donkey in August, he looked from one corridor to the next, contemplating on which one to go down.

However, his decision was easily made when Digit, Slider and Inez appeared from the corridor on the right, nearly out of breath.

"We came here as soon as we got Jackie's message," Inez said, panting.

"Where is she?" Slider asked, looking around. "Is she going to meet us here?"

"Probably, but it may take a while," Inez explained. "She was in the princess' room, remember? That's on the fourth floor. That's a lot of stairs, my friend."

"Well, we can't just stand around and wait," Matt said, as they quickly made their way down the other corridor. "Jacks can catch up to us. We have to find Hacker."

Before anyone could utter another word, a loud boom stopped them in their tracks, causing them to stumble. A loud alarm followed the explosion. Judging by its volume, the explosion occurred nearby.

"What was that?" Inez questioned, holding her arms out to maintain her balance.

Slider pinpointed the location of the explosion and alarm and said, "This way!"

Running as fast as their legs would carry them, Digit, Matt and Inez bolted down the corridor behind Slider, who was leading them. They turned around a corner, hurried down another long corridor and slid down the railing of a long flight of steps until they reached another corridor.

Inez spotted a room with smoke coming out of it and cried, "Over there!"

The four of them quickly ran towards the room and looked inside. What used to be a glamorous room full of jewels and pots of gold was empty. Debris littered the now dusty floor. Hand-crafted podiums and displays were knocked over, along with their soft, velvet pillows. The glass cases that covered the displays were shattered.

"Shoot!" Slider growled, snapping his fingers. "We're too late!"

Matt, who picked up a half-eaten, jelly donut off of the floor, said, "No surprise. Hacker was here."

"I'll call the guards," Digit suggested, whipping out his skwak pad. "Maybe they can still catch Hacker and the tin heads before they reach the Wreaker."

"That was some explosion," Inez commented, observing the remains of the steel door. "The solid, steel door is totalled."

Just then, Jackie appeared in the doorway, panting after a long run.

"The princess should install a elevator in this castle, for crying out loud," she muttered, before realizing the state the treasure room was in. "I missed something, didn't I?"

Matt nodded, as he tossed the donut aside.

Chapter 5 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Read and Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

Next chapter: Hacker puts the next phase of his plan into action and Jackie unintentionally reveals that she may have a hidden secret to her parents.

~TeenQueen661


	6. An Even Closer Call

Living a Double Life

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 6! =D

Chapter 6: An Even Closer Call

After the theft of the jewels and gold, the five members of the Cybersquad gently broke the news to the princess of Pompadouria. Although she was horrified that her treasures were stolen, she didn't blame the Cybersquad at all. They did their best to help. It was Hacker that was responsible for the theft, after all.

To thank them for doing their best to help, she invited the entire squad to have lunch with her in her palace. They were in the middle of devouring a delicious turkey, when one of the guards informed the princess that there was no sign of Hacker, Buzz, or Delete on the palace grounds. They also did a thorough search throughout Pompadouria, but the Grim Wreaker was nowhere in sight.

After thanking the princess for lunch, apologizing again for not being able to stop Hacker from committing the theft, and promising that they would get her treasures back, the five members of the Cybersquad left the palace. Digit took the coupe and dropped Slider off in Radopolis on the way back to Control Central, while Inez, Matt and Jackie called for a portal home. Until they got word that Hacker put his next phase of his master plan into action, they couldn't really do much.

Several days on Earth passed. Matt and Inez spent most of their time at Jackie's house, wondering what the next phase of Hacker's plan would be. Jackie's mother assumed that they were just hanging out. She didn't know that they were too occupied with their duties to stop Hacker to hang out.

"This mission is certainly frustrating," Inez said, rubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers.

"Tell me about it," Jackie said, sinking into her beanbag chair. "Trying to balance my Cyber career and battling Hacker is no walk in the park."

"Speaking of park," Matt said, leaning against the computer desk. "I have slugball practise at a park in Tikiville tomorrow. The finals are coming up."

"Hopefully we can watch you," Inez said, sending her boyfriend a smile. "That is, if we're not too busy chasing after Hacker that day."

"It has been several days," Jackie pointed out. "Hacker is bound to start the next phase of his master plan soon."

"Digit or Slider will call us if something comes up," Inez reminded them. "Until then, we can't do much."

"Let's go downstairs and get something to eat," Jackie suggested, getting up. "I think my mom is ordering pizza for dinner tonight."

Matt nodded, as he and Inez followed Jackie out of her bedroom and down the flight of steps to the foyer. They entered the living room, where Mrs. Edwards just placed the cordless phone onto a nearby table.

"The pizza will be here soon, kids," Mrs. Edwards told them, before looking at Matt and Inez. "I hope you guys don't mind not having meat on the pizza. Jackie is a vegetarian, after all."

"We don't mind," Matt said.

"Thanks for having us over for dinner, Mrs. Edwards," Inez said, gratefully.

"Oh, no need to thank me," Mrs. Edwards said, with a smile. "Jackie's friends are welcome over any time."

Just then, a ringing sound was heard and everyone's eyes darted to Matt, who whipped out his skwak pad.

"Excuse me for a sec," Matt said, darting out of the room to take what most likely would be an important call.

Inez and Jackie sent each other concerned looks, knowing that they would have to leave at any moment. Possible excuses started running through their minds. Mrs. Edwards didn't notice their worried looks because she was going through her purse for some cash.

Matt stuck his head back into the room, shortly after, and gestured for them to come with him. Jackie nodded, turning to her mother.

"Sorry, Mom, we have to go," Jackie said, grabbing her purse from a nearby chair. "Matt's mom called and the chickens got out. We're just going to go help him and we'll be back."

Inez bolted out of the room, but Mrs. Edwards' voice stopped Jackie in her tracks.

"Before you go, dear, do you have any small bills?" Mrs. Edwards asked. "I only have big dollar bills and the pizzas don't cost that much."

Jackie reached into her purse, pull out some cash and tossed it onto the coffee table, before running out of the room.

"We'll be back as soon as we can!" Jackie called, her voice followed by the sound of a door slamming shut.

Mr. Edwards entered the living room from the dining room and found his wife looking at the cash that she picked up off of the table, with a confused look on her face.

"Is everything okay, honey?" he asked, concerned.

"I asked Jackie for small dollar bills to pay for the pizza," Mrs. Edwards explained, holding up the cash. "Why did she give me this?"

Mr. Edwards took a look at the money in his wife's hands and raised an eyebrow. Neither of them recognized that they were snelfus.

* * *

><p>After leaving Jackie's house, the three Earth teens made their way to a nearby alley, where they found a portal waiting for them. They hopped in and travelled through the vortex to Cyberspace, where they found themselves on the cybersite of Mount Olympus.<p>

Slider was already waiting for them in a cart, driven by the two satyrs, who the squad previously helped by splitting their gold into equal shares. Matt pulled Inez onto the cart, while Slider helped Jackie on.

"Thank goodness you made it here," Slider said, before tapping the shortest satyr on the shoulder. "Yo, let's go!"

"Give me the reins, you goat-headed fool!" the tallest satyr yelled, yanking on the reins.

"No, give _me _the reins, you fool-headed goat!" the shortest satyr shouted, giving the reins a tug.

"Just get going!" Slider yelled, exasperated. "It's an emergency!"

The shortest satyr sat back and the taller one gave the reins a hard yank and the cart started moving.

"So, what's the emergency?" Inez asked.

"Didge got a call from Apollo," Slider explained.

"Apollo, the Greek god who plays the music of the spheres?" Matt asked for clarification. When Slider nodded, Matt asked, "What's the problem?"

"There was a theft backstage after their first performance of the day," Slider explained. "Calliope's lyre was stolen."

"Man, we never get a break," Matt said, leaning back in his seat, with a sigh.

"Is she okay?" Jackie asked, concerned.

"She's fine," Slider replied. "But Mount Olympus won't be if Calliope doesn't get her lyre back. If the band doesn't play the music at sunset..."

"I know, I know, the balance of the entire Cybersite will be destroyed," Inez said, cutting the skater borg off.

"We better hurry," Jackie said, as the cart speeded up. "If we don't get back to Earth soon, my mom will get suspicious. She'll call Matt's parents and ask if we're still there, then we'll be totally busted."

"Don't worry, we'll be there shortly," the tall satyr reassured the squad.

"Um, where's Digit?" Inez asked, realizing he was not in the cart with them.

"With Zeus," Slider explained. "Zeus found out about the theft and wants to help. Digit is meeting with him right now."

"Hopefully, we can solve this problem until we can retrieve Calliope's lyre," Jackie said, with a sigh.

* * *

><p>"Box of doughnuts," Matt said, picking up a box of a dozen doughnuts off of the Beast's table. "Buzz and Delete were here."<p>

"Figures Hacker would be behind this," Inez said, with a roll of her eyes.

"None of you saw this happen?" Slider questioned, looking at the other three musicians in the room besides Calliope: Apollo, the siren and the Beast.

"We went out to lunch after our first performance of the day," the siren said, with a flip of her silky, red hair.

"So, you left your instruments here?" Inez asked. "Your gong, your horn, your lyre and your drums?"

"That's correct," Apollo answered. "When we came back for rehearsals, the lyre was missing."

Jackie, who was consoling an upset Calliope, asked her, "Why would Hacker want to take your lyre?"

"He probably wants to disturb the balance of this beautiful cybersite again," the poetic muse answered, with a sigh.

"He tried that before, but failed," Inez pointed out. "This has got to be the next phase of his master plan."

"Whatever his master plan is," Matt said.

Inez took one look at the door and suggested, "You four ought to get a lock and security system for this door. Anyone can break in, you know."

"And they did," Jackie added, turning to Calliope. "Don't worry, we'll get your lyre back."

"Hopefully before tonight," Calliope said, biting her bottom lip. "I need it for tonight's performance or Mount Olympus is totalled."

"But we don't know how long it will take to find it," Jackie said. "After all, we don't know where Hacker is heading next."

Just then, Digit ran into the room, panting after a long run. In his wings was a cardboard box.

"What's up, Didge?" Matt asked. "What did Zeus want?"

"He wants me to give this to Calliope," Digit explained, walking over to Calliope's corner and placing the box in front of her.

Jackie stepped back, so Calliope had some room to open the box. When she opened it, she smiled and pulled out a brand new lyre.

"Wow," Calliope said, impressed. "This is gorgeous."

"I know it's not exactly your lyre," Digit said. "But after Zeus found out about the theft, he had a temporary one made for you."

"This should help maintain the balance of Mount Olympus until we find your original lyre," Inez explained. "I know how much that one meant to you."

"Thank you," Calliope replied, gratefully, as she plucked several of the lyre's strings, allowing a soft sound to be emitted. "This will do, for now."

"Why would Hacker want to steal a lyre?" Matt questioned, as Digit answered his ringing skwak pad. "Offense intended, he's not musically gifted."

Slider laughed and replied, "I don't know, but it's our job to figure it out before he unleashes more chaos."

"You got that right, Sly," Jackie said, with a nod of her head. "Come on, we should head to the Northern Frontier. If Hacker is there right now, maybe we can listen in on a conversation with Buzz and Delete and figure out what the next phase of his plan is."

"I just got a call from Judge Trudy in Sensible Flats," Digit said, frantically. "Cousin Rudy said he spotted the Grim Wreaker on Hacker's piece of land."

"Hacker suddenly went on vacation?" Matt questioned, with a scoff.

"Doubt it, he's up to something else," Inez answered, gesturing to the door. "We better get going."

* * *

><p>Several hours later, the front door to the Edwards residence opened and Inez, Matt and Jackie walked inside, starving.<p>

"We wasted so much time spying on Hacker and all he did was sip a glass of lemonade by the pool!" Matt cried, with a groan.

"Well, better to be safe than sorry," Inez reminded him. "Regardless of what we saw, I still think he's back in Sensible Flats for a reason."

"Don't worry, Digit and Slider are keeping an eye on him for the night," Jackie reassured them, as she closed the door. "If something drastic happens, we'll be contacted."

"Contacted by who?" Mrs. Edwards asked, stepping into the foyer, having heard only the last half of what Jackie said. "What's drastic?"

"Matt's mother will call us if the pigs get out again," Inez said, quickly.

"I thought the chickens got out," Mrs. Edwards said, raising an eyebrow.

"Both," Matt answered, swiftly. "Turns out the latch on the, um, pig pen was broken and, um, the pigs got out, too."

"Well, okay..." Mrs. Edwards said, wondering if they were telling the truth.

"Sorry, we're late," Jackie apologized. "Can we eat?"

"The pizza is a bit cold now, but I'll heat it up for you," Mrs. Edwards replied, gesturing for them to follow her. "Follow me."

Inez, Matt, and Jackie followed Mrs. Edwards down the hall, towards the kitchen, eyeing each other with worried looks.

Chapter 6 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

Next chapter: Hacker strikes Sensible Flats. Matt's slugball finals are a mere few chapters away.

~TeenQueen661


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